DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20130124853A1
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Sorotokin, Peter, Lester, Jim, Bogaty, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/107 License processing; Key processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a digital content distributor may transmit an unsigned license associated with a protected digital object to a digital rights management provider. The digital rights management provider may digitally sign the license and may transmit the signed license to the digital content distributor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

using one or more computers to perform;

providing a protected digital object to a user computing platform implemented on a computer system different than said one or more computers, wherein the user computing platform comprises an executable application configured to access the protected digital object contingent upon receiving a particular signed license for that protected digital object, wherein the executable application is provided by a particular digital rights management provider that controls none of said one or more computers or said different computer system;

receiving a license request from the user computing platform, the license request associated with the protected digital object;

in response to receiving the license request, generating an unsigned license associated with the protected digital object and providing the unsigned license to the particular digital rights management provider;

receiving the particular signed license associated with the protected digital object from the particular digital rights management provider; and

providing the particular signed license to the user computing platform to enable the executable application to access the protected digital object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a digital object from a content provider; and

protecting the digital object to produce the protected digital object prior to providing the protected digital object to the user computing platform.

3. The method of claim 1, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

4. The method of claim 3, the identification value associated with the protected digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent the digital rights management provider from associating the title with the user computing platform.

5. The method of claim 1, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature identifying the digital rights management provider.

6. A method, comprising:

using one or more computers of a digital rights management provider to perform;

providing an executable application to a user computing platform implemented on a computer system different than said one or more computers;

receiving an unsigned license associated with a protected digital object and further associated with a user computing platform from a content distributor, wherein the protected digital object is provided to the user computing platform by the content distributor, wherein the content distributor controls none of said one or more computers or said different computer system; and

providing to the content distributor a signed license associated with the protected digital object and destined for the executable application of the user computing platform.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the executable application provided to the user computing platform is configured to read the protected digital object contingent upon the signed license being received by the user computing platform.

8. The method of claim 6, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

9. The method of claim 8, the identification value associated with the digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent an association of the title with the user computing platform.

10. The method of claim 6, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature.

11. An article, comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on one or more computers, are configured to;

provide a protected digital object to a user computing platform implemented on a computer system different than said one or more computers, wherein the user computing platform comprises an executable application configured to access the protected digital object contingent upon receiving a particular signed license for that protected digital object, wherein the executable application is provided by a particular digital rights management provider that controls none of said one or more computers or said different computer system;

receive a license request from the user computing platform, the license request associated with the protected digital object;

in response to receiving the license request, generate an unsigned license associated with the protected digital object and provide the unsigned license to the particular digital rights management provider;

receive the particular signed license associated with the protected digital object from the particular digital rights management provider; and

provide the particular signed license to the user computing platform to enable the executable application to access the protected digital object.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that are configured to:

receive a digital object from a content provider; and

protect the digital object to produce the protected digital object prior to providing the protected digital object to the user computing platform.

13. The article of claim 11, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

14. The article of claim 13, the identification value associated with the protected digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent the digital rights management provider from associating the title with the user computing platform.

15. The article of claim 11, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature identifying the digital rights management provider.

16. An article, comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on one or more computers of a digital rights management provider, are configured to;

provide an executable application to a user computing platform implemented on a computer system different than said one or more computers;

receive an unsigned license associated with a protected digital object and further associated with a user computing platform from a content distributor, wherein the protected digital object is provided to the user computing platform by the content distributor, wherein the content distributor controls none of said one or more computers or said different computer system; and

provide to the content distributor, a signed license associated with the protected digital object and destined for the executable application of the user computing platform.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the the executable application provided to the user computing platform is configured to read the protected digital object contingent upon the signed license being received by the user computing platform.

18. The article of claim 16, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

19. The article of claim 18, the identification value associated with the digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent an association of the title with the user computing platform.

20. The article of claim 16, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

means for providing a protected digital object to a user computing platform implemented on a different computer system, wherein the user computing platform comprises an executable application configured to access the protected digital object contingent upon receiving a particular signed license for that protected digital object, wherein the executable application is provided by a particular digital rights management provider that controls none of said apparatus or said different computer system;

means for receiving a license request from the user computing platform, the license request associated with the protected digital object;

means for, in response to receiving the license request, generating an unsigned license associated with the protected digital object and providing the unsigned license to the particular digital rights management provider;

means for receiving the particular signed license associated with the protected digital object from the particular digital rights management provider; and

means for providing the particular signed license to the user computing platform to enable the executable application to access the protected digital object.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving a digital object from a content provider; and

means for protecting the digital object to produce the protected digital object; and

prior to providing the protected digital object to the user computing platform.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, the identification value associated with the protected digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent the digital rights management provider from associating the title with the user computing platform.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature identifying the digital rights management provider.

26. An apparatus of a digital rights management provider, comprising:

means for providing an executable application to a user computing platform implemented on a different computer system

means for receiving an unsigned license associated with a protected digital object and further associated with a user computing platform from a content distributor, wherein the protected digital object is provided to the user computing platform by the content distributor, wherein the content distributor controls none of said apparatus or said different computer system; and

means for providing to the content distributor, a signed license associated with the protected digital object and destined for the executable application of the user computing platform.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the executable application provided to the user computing platform is configured to read the protected digital object contingent upon the signed license being received by the user computing platform.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, the unsigned license comprising information identifying the user computing platform and an identification value associated with the protected digital object.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, the identification value associated with the digital object to not include a title of the digital object to prevent an association of the title with the user computing platform.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, the signed license comprising information identifying the user computing platform, information identifying the digital object, and a digital signature.